A Blackstaff paperback original
1 total work
Boxer, ship's waiter, factory-hand, beekeeper - John "Red" Doran has crowded a wealth of experience into his life. He transports readers back to 1940s Derry - the shirt factories, blacksmiths, drapers and Italian ice-cream vendors, gypsy sideshows, the Yanks and the GI brides. The book teems with characters such as Demon Barber, Tattoo Jack and Bitching Truth. "Thick as two short planks in the ways of the world", John Doran embarks on a life at sea during the final glorious days of the great liners: he voyages to South Africa and the South Seas; encounters corrupt police in Rio de Janeiro and gangfights in New York; and works for a spell in Hollywood, where he meets stars, such as Humphrey Bogart, Spencer Tracy and Lucille Ball in the famous Dino's Lodge. John Doran recalls the "togetherness and happiness" of his childhood, the "adrenalin and fire" of his boxing days through to the darkness of the troubles when he survived a murder attempt.